This class is aimed at creative people (filmmakers, photographers, artists, designers, digital media practitioners etc) and activists who want to build on their knowledge and skills in order to support a social cause, grass roots organisation, advocacy group, charity or an issue that you feel strongly about. We’ll be opening up the classroom in a number of ways, including providing talks and podcasts and openly working with communities of practice to share and build knowledge and resources. Our aim is to explore and encourage creativity as a means to promote citizen activism.

Approach

The course is built around the principles of Connectivism – through which networks play a fundamental role in the learning and knowledge process:

At its heart, connectivism is the thesis that knowledge is distributed across a network of connections, and therefore that learning consists of the ability to construct and traverse those networks. Knowledge is, on this theory, literally the set of connections formed by actions and experience.

Based on this, and in order for us to start sharing content, ideas, resources and feedback, we’ll be using the #creativact hashtag. So if you are posting up blog posts, tweets, videos and photographs please use this tag in order for everyone to be able to see and find your work.

Our Class

As well as running as an open course the Creative Activism Class is part of a course from the second year BA (Hons) Media Production Degree at Coventry University in the UK. It is run by a number of colleagues in the Department of Media at the Coventry School of Art and Design with the help and support of a number of partners, contributors and institutions from outside the University.

For our second year students the class plays an important role in their thematic and practical development– enabling them to address social, cultural and political issues, and put this knowledge into practice through creative thinking and media practice.

We hope the course will be challenging, inspiring and thought provoking for them and you. Enabling us all to build our knowledge into the outside world as we continue to develop as practitioners, professionals and people.

Get involved

We are looking forward to seeing your work, hearing your questions, contributing discussions and generally supporting and engaging with the creative activism community. If you have any questions or ideas to help build the community then please follow and comment in our networks above, or alternatively contact Pete Woodbridge woodbridgepj (at) gmail.com or @petewoodbridge

Although the course is not accredited for non-paying participants, everyone who engages and completes the course will be awarded with an Pirate Certificate in Creative Activism. You will also have a chance to have your work published in our digital magazine/journal that we will be producing at the end of the project.

Environmental artist Nicole Dextras builds giant words made of ice in the heart of vulnerable and often cold landscapes. She does this by constructing wooden letter frames anywhere from 18 inches to 8 feet tall that she then fills with water and leaves outside to freeze. Two weeks later, once the words are solid, Dextras removes the frames and leaves her frozen sculptures at the sun’s mercy. Eventually they melt – which she says subverts the power of the English language and commercial signage by depicting how vulnerable they are. Hit the jump to learn more about these incredible monuments of folly, which have been erected on Lake Ontario, the Yukon River, and in downtown Toronto.

Dextras capitalizes on the notion that a single word or set of words juxtaposed against a certain backdrop can create a lasting impression that hopefully shifts people’s awareness of their environmental impact. Nothing is quite so striking as the word CONSUME built in ice and decorated with blue food coloring set against an ugly, half-finished city skyline, or the word RESOURCE limp and melting in a whitewashed northern landscape – one of the last frontiers that corporations are already eyeing.

The artist uses a range of styles, sizes, and words to complete her sculptures, and often works in environments that are so cold her camera equipment freezes up. The VIEW project on Lake Ontario took a full month to complete, so these are serious endeavors that require a great amount of dedication. What we love most about these structures is that they are temporary and so richly symbolize just how fragile all of life really is – particularly if we take it for granted.

CAA Awarded $75,000 Grant by George Soros’s Open Society Foundations

Grant to expand CAA’s School for Creative Activism after Successful Inaugural Year

The School of Creative Activism is a participatory workshop infusing community organizing and civic engagement with culture and creativity. The School was founded by the Center for Artistic Activism in 2010 and held two successful workshops for activists in the New York area and North Carolina. In recognition of the workshops’ successes, the Open Society Foundations nearly doubled their funding from 2010 to support continued curricular development and organizer training in SCA workshops over the 2011-2012 year. Upcoming workshops will be held throughout the U.S. Locations and calls for participants will be announced in the coming months.

We’ve enjoyed looking back on last year’s successes as we prepare for upcoming workshops with a new class of artistic activists. Check out some of the testimonials from last year’s participants.

“This was an incredibly inspiring weekend for me. [It pulled] together long disparate threads of creativity and justice action into a kind of “a ha” moment. Seeing the history and theory of this kind of work opened up a Pandora’s Box inside my brain. I pledge never to be bored with activism again.”

Featured Interview: SCA Alumnus Donovan McKnight

This month we’re featuring our interview with creative activist Donovan McKnight. We met McKnight last Spring when he participated in our School for Creative Activism in North Carolina. McKnight is the co-director of Face to Face Greensboro, a community advocacy organization that promotes grassroots change through old-fashioned, face-to-face dialogue. We caught up with him recently, after he and his colleagues staged a huge event called Show of Hands 2011, a city-wide party to foster community and increase voter participation.

We’re gratified and inspired by all of the positive feedback we’ve received about our work over the last year. 2012 is already shaping up to be an incredible year for us, as well as for activist communities throughout the world. Keep checking our website for updates and let us know what you’re working on by leaving comments on the Artistic Activism site.

Thank you,

Steve Lambert and Stephen Duncombe

]]>http://art.350.org/school-for-creative-activism-continues-to-grow/feed/0Thank You for Riding the Radio Wave in Over 60 Countries!http://art.350.org/thank-for-riding-the-radio-wave-in-over-60-countries/
http://art.350.org/thank-for-riding-the-radio-wave-in-over-60-countries/#commentsWed, 14 Dec 2011 18:41:46 +0000http://earth.350.org/?p=2302Read more »]]>Friends,

Huge thanks and salutations to all of you in the 350 network!

The past few weeks, many people around the world really went above and beyond to ensure that “350 Radio Wave” (our project to take over the airwaves with stories from the climate movement) was a huge success.

350’s amazing global grassroots network spread People Power, a new climate change song, to the airwaves in over 60 countries! Together, we harnessed the power of music to educate the public about climate change. Some organisers managed to get their personal stories onto radio stations with huge audiences; others were smaller stations that the local community listened to. From stations in Texas to Cape Town, uplifting messages from the movement’s frontlines reached thousands of people’s hearts and minds.

The story of the song, People Power, continues to unfold. It was in regular rotation on South African radio stations during the UN climate talks, and now DJs are creating amazing remixes. iTunes recently featured it as the “Free iTunes Song of the Week” — the first time a climate song has ever made this coveted spot. Already, we’re at 100,000 downloads and still counting!

This wonderful energy of people power – rippling out in story and song – has been so important in recent months. At this moment in history, politics and our media seem to be dominated by corporate polluters. Hope for climate action can seem dim, and we all worry that our message isn’t getting through.

But, over the past few weeks, 350 Radio Wave helped inspire people around the world to create a new wave of climate action, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be part of the movement that made it happen.

Let’s keep turning it around,

Samantha Bailey for the whole crew at 350.org

P.S. Check out this great Thank You video from Zolani, one of the artists featured in the “People Power” song.

Director of group that covers four galleries around UK says decision is due on partnership deal with BP, expiring next year

Environmental protesters throw molasses on the steps outside Tate Britain in protest against its sponsorship deal with BP.

Photograph: Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images

The Tate galleries are reviewing their 20-year partnership with BP, after demonstrations by green campaigners.

Tate’s director, Sir Nicholas Serota, has said it will decide whether to renew the contract with BP “quite soon”. This month he was presented with a petition from 8,000 Tate members and visitors organised by the pressure groups Platform, Liberate Tate and Art Not Oil. Serota said: “You’ll not be surprised to learn that the whole question of the support from BP has exercised trustees quite seriously over the past two years. Both the trustees as a board, but also the trustees through their ethics committee, which was instituted about four years ago, have looked very carefully at the question.” The trustees had decided that “the good that has been done through the money that has come from BP for the gallery, and for the gallery’s public, has been very profound”. The current three-year sponsorship runs out in 2012. Art Not Oil has also called for protest against BP’s sponsorship of next year’s Cultural Olympiad and Festival of London. It asks artists to submit work to a “BP-free Cultural Olympiad gallery” on its website. “The Olympics has presented the company with the perfect platform for some aggressive rebranding,” it said.

Sponsorship is increasingly contentious as arts organisations make up the shortfall in government funding. Last week, two poets withdrew from the TS Eliot prize sponsored by investment management firm Aurum Funds; the Poetry Book Society struck the deal with Aurum after its arts council funding was withdrawn. On Thursday, the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said artists should support firms that donate; it is “is encouraging good behaviour by corporations”, he told the New Culture Forum, a rightwing arts thinktank. Encouraging philanthropy, Hunt added, was his priority for the arts.

BP said it remained “committed” to the Cultural Olympiad and the London 2012 Festival. But a spokesman said it would not comment on the Tate sponsorship before talks on its renewal. The Cultural Olympiad said it valued BP’s support.

For the first time in the history of the prize, it is being awarded not to an individual, but to an idea. It is an idea upon which our planet’s future depends.

The 2012 TED Prize is awarded to….the City 2.0.

The City 2.0 is the city of the future… a future in which more than ten billion people on planet Earth must somehow live sustainably.

The City 2.0 is not a sterile utopian dream, but a real-world upgrade tapping into humanity’s collective wisdom.

The City 2.0 promotes innovation, education, culture, and economic opportunity.

The City 2.0 reduces the carbon footprint of its occupants, facilitates smaller families, and eases the environmental pressure on the world’s rural areas.

The City 2.0 is a place of beauty, wonder, excitement, inclusion, diversity, life.

The City 2.0 is the city that works.

The TED Prize grants its winner $100,000 and “one wish to change the world.” How will this prize be accepted on behalf of the City 2.0? Through visionary individuals around the world who are advocating on its behalf.

We are listening to them and giving them the opportunity to collectively craft a wish. A wish capable of igniting a massive collaborative project among the members of the global TED community, and indeed all who care about our planet’s future. (Individuals or organizations who wish to contribute their ideas to a TED Prize wish on behalf of The City 2.0 should write to tedprize@ted.com)

Because this idea is capable of inspiring millions of people around the world to contribute to one of the biggest challenges and opportunities humanity faces.

That has always been the purpose of the TED Prize – to inspire action. In the past we’ve entrusted individuals to do this.

But the future of cities is such a significant issue, with so many individuals, organizations and companies doing spectacular work, which is why the TED Prize chose not to single out one individual, but honor the idea itself.

Is this a permanent change – to focus on ideas?

Actually the Prize has always been focused on ideas. Since its inception in 2005, the Prize has sought out individuals with the ideas best able to change the world.

We will continue to do this… and each year TED looks forward to surprising people in its selection of one remarkable person – or one remarkable idea – that merits a world-changing wish.

Who will make and oversee this year’s TED Prize wish?

The TED Prize organizing team is bringing together a group of visionaries — urban planners, architects, technologists, authors, policy makers, and economists — to act as advocates for The City 2.0 and craft a wish capable of inspiring collaborative action by many. The wish will be unveiled during the TED Prize session on February 29, 2012.

How will the annual $100,000 be used?

In the past, the TED Prize winner received $100,000 without any conditions on how it could be used. Most often, the winner either reinvested the money into the wish or into his or her foundation. This year, the money will be invested directly in seeding the Wish to be made on behalf of The City 2.0.

]]>http://art.350.org/share-your-climate-change-solution-announcing-the-2012-ted-prize-winner-%e2%80%93-the-city-2-0/feed/0350 Climate Song People Power Being Remixed!http://art.350.org/350-climate-song-people-power-being-remixed/
http://art.350.org/350-climate-song-people-power-being-remixed/#commentsMon, 05 Dec 2011 17:59:14 +0000http://earth.350.org/?p=2294Read more »]]>

The Nigerian-American singer Naira just sent us a beautiful remix of People Power. Listen to her remix Stand Up! and read her personal story below. And then join the wave by creating your own remix of how climate change is affecting you personally, your people, your country, our world by going to our remix page.

Let’s spread the wave worldwide!

From Naira:

“I am a Nigerian-American based in Atlanta, GA and as an artist, I seek to revolutionize the way we interact with people and the culture that is being created globally with music as my medium. I am among the many Africans worldwide who have something to say and someone to beautifully inspire. We are one in the Digital Revolution. No more dreams deferred the world will hear our story of trial and triumph! Musically Yours, NAIRA www.iamnaira.com”

Here is her remix:

]]>http://art.350.org/350-climate-song-people-power-being-remixed/feed/0The Power of Youth, The Power of Songhttp://art.350.org/the-power-of-youth-the-power-of-song/
http://art.350.org/the-power-of-youth-the-power-of-song/#commentsMon, 28 Nov 2011 18:21:42 +0000http://earth.350.org/?p=2291Read more »]]>

The annual United Nations climate summit is about to get going again — COP17 (the 17th conference of parties) in Durban, South Africa. But before diving more into the UN side of things, much more fun to share is the news from the seventh Conference of Youth (COY7) that’s happening as I type.

COY is a special time for the youth climate movement every year as hundreds of youth from dozens of countries come together for 3 days building new relationships, sharing stories from the past year, learning from one another, and making plans the movement ahead. The conference typically has all the youthful energy you can imagine — as young people we know what’s at stake, deeply, and we pour our spirits into the work of building a movement and creating solutions. But this year, the level of energy has reached even greater levels than in the past.

How? Well, watch this…

The young people you see leading that song in the video just completed an overland journey starting in Nairobi, Kenya — the We Have Faith, Act Now, Climate Justice Caravan. Song is part of what sustained them through that long journey to be here, much the way song has been a driving, sustaining force in African social movements for decades, particularly the South African anti-apartheid movement.

Now that energy and power of song has united with the energy and power of youth at COY — a recipe for some beautiful movement building weeks to come.

We have our work cut out for us, no doubt — how to channel this people power into a force that can overcome the corporate influence holding the world back from the solutions required. We’ll have our first large show of people power here in Durban at an interfaith climate justice rally with Desmond Tutu tomorrow, the Sunday before the UN meetings commence.

And it’s not just here in Durban. We’re taking people power to radio stations worldwide this week — in more ways than one! Check out http://radiowave.350.org to listen to a new song titled “People Power” and join us in taking the movement to radio where you live (you’ll find the guide and resources you need there on the Radio Wave website).

Thousands of grassroots organizers are calling their local radio stations, getting them to play the new climate song “People Power” and following up with fantastic personal interviews about the solutions people are actively pursuing locally.

We wanted to share one of the first stories from Jean Altomare – an amazing 350 member from Maine.

Go to radiowave.350.org to learn more about how you can participate in spreading the Wave!

A report of the first Radio Wave interview!

This is the story of Jean Altomare’s interview – the first of our ripples through the airwaves

At 10:30 on Friday morning my phone rang while I was walking into my office building, and I was suddenly being prepped to be live on air. I chose this brief opportunity to inhale the muffin I’d just bought, and settled in to participate in 12,000 watts, volunteer-powered radio goodness. The radio show is called Mid-Coast Currents, and covers a wide variety of both worldly and local news.

The portion of the show that I was on followed the conversation about the 12,000 strong encircling of the White House, and my involvement with 350.org. We talked about the Tar Sands Action, Tim DeChristopher, and what was next for 350, which was my lead-in to Radio Wave. Instantly, thousands of residents of Maine were hearing music that addressed the climate crisis and acknowledged the international, growing movement to save our planet. In addition, those Mainers were all sitting inside, avoiding the cold, while the song called to mind the home of this year’s Conference of the Parties- the exceedingly climate-vulnerable South Africa.

It was certainly a shift from typical Maine radio tunes – but a good one. The Unity college students thought it was great – it’s not only a great song, but it’s very direct – the song is about climate change, about people power, and you can’t read into it whatever you want. If the song is playing, and you’re listening to it, you’re thinking about climate change. And considering how quickly the clock is running out, that’s absolutely necessary.

Being on the radio was a wonderful experience – although it was strange to be on the phone and talking through airwaves I listen to regularly. Speaking on the phone, without the radio on, was an incredibly relaxing way to talk about the people power we’re seeing across the globe, without worrying about how my voice sounds (normal to everyone else) or whether my breathing can be heard on air (it can’t).

All in all, it was a great experience. Mainers heard a great song and learned that the climate fight is about to focus on Durban, I spoke on the radio and wasn’t nervous, and we got to share with the world the recent victories and momentum of the environmental movement! It was a good morning.